Description

Position:Outreach Specialist

Reports to:Director Outreach and Engagement

Program/Department: SUPRA Global

POSITION SUMMARY:This individual will identify individuals in the community who would benefit from substance use treatment services, engage current patients who are not participating fully in treatment and/or re-engage patients who have stopped attending treatment. The Outreach Specialist will function as a role model to peers; exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills; serve as a consumer advocate, providing information and peer support for clients in outpatient, intensive outpatient and/or community-based settings.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Function as a point of contact for the local community, including but not limited to hospitals, health care providers, emergency responders and social service providers.
• Regularly engage individuals who are actively using drugs in areas with high concentration of drug use.

• Personal experience to be shared appropriately with patients for the purpose of relating and expanding concepts of treatment and recovery.
• Follows procedures during the crisis intervention of medical and/or psychiatric emergencies on and off site.
• Monitor behavioral functions and report as needed to ensure a safe, welcoming environment for patients and staff on site.
• In collaboration with clinicians and counselors, facilitate open discussion with patients regarding mental health and substance use status with the goal of elevating coping skills and access to resources.
• Document accurately, neatly, and consistently every and any contact with or on behalf of a participant in the participant’s designated chart, as required by funding source.
• Attend scheduled team meetings and actively participate in team.
• Work in conjunction with agency staff to ensure that appropriate referrals are made and follow-up services are provided as needed.
• Provide linages for patients to community-based services as needed; stay abreast of staff changes and referral procedures at partner agencies.
• Transport participants to locations within the Chicagoland area.

Activities of Daily Living Services

• Provide ongoing problem solving, side-by-side services, skill teaching, and support and to assist clients with activities of daily living.
• Assist and support clients to carry out personal hygiene and grooming tasks.

• Teach life skills
• Assist clients to locate needed financial resources such as identifying appropriate Payee and referring issues to Case Manager or others in the team when needed.

• Help clients to access reliable transportation.
• Assist and support clients to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician and dentist, and eye doctor if needed.

Social and Interpersonal Relationships and Leisure Time

• Encourage clients to plan and conduct safe and positive leisure time activities on evenings, weekends, and holidays.

• Assist consumers who have experienced social stigmatization with their sense of acceptance and affiliation.

Support

• Provide practical help and mentoring, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving and direct assistance to help clients obtain the necessities of daily living.

• Promote the client’s self-advocacy skills.
• Other duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

1. Excellent communication and people skills (verbal, written)
2. Outreach experience
3. Comprehensive understanding of substance use, mental health, and HIV/AIDS
4. Highly organized and detail oriented.
5. Learn technology quickly.
6. Ability to engage in many projects at once.
7. Ability to juggle multiple tasks, set priorities and follow-through on daily tasks in a timely fashion.
8. Ability to handle confidential information professionally and appropriately.
9. Fast, accurate analysis and reporting.

OTHER REQUIRED ABILITIES:

1. Bicultural applicants strongly preferred.

1. Ability to work effectively with peers, individual clients and groups.

1. Desire to learn new skills.

1. Knowledge of community and social service agencies.

1. Ability to maintain accurate records and necessary paperwork.

PHYSICALDEMANDS:Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Employees are responsible for informing supervisor of any invisible disability or medical restriction that limit physical capability.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics are representativeofthosean employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. There will be occasions that call for an employee to carry out duties at other agency offices and/or in the community.

MIMIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:APeer Outreach Specialist must meet the following qualifications:

1. High School Diploma or GED; 2,000 hours (one year) paid/supervised work experience.
2. One hundred (100) hours supervision in the CRSS performance domain and Successful completion of written exam for CRSS and maintained valid is preferred.

Qualifications